Skin hygiene is of high priority to present day consumers. Consumers all over the world use various kinds of skin hygiene compositions.
Skin generally contains several different micro-organisms in concentrations exceeding millions or even billions of colony forming units (cfu's) per square centimeter (cm2).
Many of these micro organisms are harmless, but there are also various pathogenic types or sub-species present, such as Escherichia coli, also referred to a E. coli, and Staphylococcus aureus, also referred to as S. aureus. Several other bacteria can be found in the skin flora, such as Staphylococcus epidermidis, also referred to as S. epidermidis, which is generally non-pathogenic, but is thought to be causing unpleasant body odour.
Therefore present day consumers appreciate skin care and cleansing products that have anti-microbial activity.
The most commonly known skin hygiene compositions predominantly consist of soap. Soap is a highly effective agent for killing bacteria. This is considered to be caused by its high alkalinity.
Various other skin hygiene materials have been proposed in the art. In recent years a number of publications have been made on the use of essential oils for anti-bacterial action.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,965,518 essential oils are disclosed for use in fragrance compositions having antimicrobial activity.
In WO 01/70215, bactericidal composition comprising essential oils are disclosed for skin treatment and taught to reach even sub-dermal pathogens.
However, essential oils are relatively expensive ingredients. Additionally, essential oils are also known for their fragrances; using high amounts may cause a peculiar smell that is not always appreciated by the consumer.
Accordingly it remains to be desired to prepare skin hygiene compositions having a high anti-microbial effect, even with a low dosage of anti-microbial essential oils
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a skin hygiene composition, having good anti-microbial properties, at low levels of essential oil.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a composition that is effective against common skin and enteric bacteria, including both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.
Surprisingly it has been found that composition comprising a low amount of at least two essential oils and a polymer provides improved hygiene efficacy.